UNG raising the bar with Corps facilities

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Corps of Cadets has been producing leaders of character for the Army since the university's inception in 1873. With the Wynne-Mathews Military Science Center set for a fall 2026 opening, UNG will now have a modern facility through which to continue that legacy and deliver the Corps of the future.

UNG leaders and alumni gathered Nov. 7 for a beam-signing with general contractor Carroll Daniel and architect LS3P. With the final piece of steel frame being installed that day, those gathered on the Gen. William "Lipp" Livsey Drill Field celebrated the progress on construction of the 22,000-square-foot facility.

A ribbon-cutting is planned for July 2026, when UNG will celebrate the more than 200 alumni who combined to give $5 million for the project, which was supplemented by $8.3 million from the state.

The facility is named in recognition of a leadership gift from Bob Mathews '71. This gift honors his late wife, Mary Joan Wynne Mathews, whom he met at UNG, and seven other members of the Wynne and Mathews families who either attended UNG or served in the U.S. armed forces. 

"Generations of warfighters will learn leadership and the tactical and the strategic side of being in the United States Army. And we need them today, and we will need them forever," Mathews said. "Facilities that support the Corps of Cadets have been far below par compared to the product this university has been putting out for the United States Army. It's time to bring those two in line with each other."

The strategy behind the Corps of the future strategic big bet is the grow to 1,000 cadets and commission 120 second lieutenants each academic year as the nation's premier officer commissioning program. Retired Lt. Gen. James Terry, senior vice president and superintendent of the Cadet Leadership Academy, said current cadets are already noticing the generosity of alumni.

"Our cadets are responding to this giving, and they see that people care about them. And they're going to respond even more, I guarantee it," Terry said. "This is not just a building. This is an investment, not only in the Corps of Cadets, but also in the future leaders of this nation."

UNG President Michael P. Shannon declared the beam-signing an opportunity to "put an anchor in the ground."

"Facilities deliver legacy. If we want to deliver America's Corps, we need a place to do it," Shannon said. "It's not just about pretty buildings. It's about moments when young people will be changed so they're ready for what tomorrow brings them."